Travel ban likely if polio threat remains beyond 2013
A ban may be imposed on Pakistanis travelling abroad if polio is not eradicated by 2013, Senate’s standing committee on inter-provincial coordination revealed on Friday.
During a meeting of the committee chaired by Senator Farah Aqil, Senator Dr Kareem Khwaja said that, “Keeping in view the perils of polio and the impediments faced by Pakistan to eradicate the disease, the international community is seriously thinking of imposing a lifelong ban on Pakistani travellers if polio was not eliminated by 2013.”
Khwaja further revealed that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has also indicated that if polio inflictions were not curbed by 2013, a travel ban could be placed on Pakistanis. Commuting citizens may have to sport a ‘No Objection Certificate’ along with a polio vaccination certificate to transcend Pakistani borders.
When contacted by The Express Tribune to comment on this development, a WHO spokesperson revealed that there was a proposal in the pipeline to make a polio vaccination certificate issued by the WHO necessary for Pakistanis. However, the spokesperson added that as of yet the proposal had not been processed.
Devolution
The standing committee made a detailed review of the devolution process, particularly regarding issues of the health department. Awami National Party (ANP)’s Zahid Khan said that the devolution of powers to the provinces, which was initiated under the 18th Amendment stands the risk of being derailed.
Khan, joined by other ANP and MQM members of the committee, said that issues pertaining to health and medicines were getting complicated. He cited an example of the Drug Regulatory Agency, which was initially approved by the special parliamentary committee but was later modified by then health secretary Nargis Sethi without bringing the modification to the committee’s information.
Another issue which was taken up at the meeting was the launch of some vertical programmes including nationwide ones on malaria, tuberculosis, AIDs and hepatitis. The authorities concerned explained that this step was taken after a request by donor and international partners to place a federal mechanism that ensured the continuity of presently approved grant funds in the future.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 21st, 2012.
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Even Indian Certificates and Passports are easily bought... Hahaha
And how hard is it to buy certificates in Pakistan?
live example of a nation digging its own grave
The world cannot trust Pakistani certificates either. They can easily bought.
@Uzair your sarcasm is Awesome, but I should warn you that in Pakistan its a lost art. Beware, too many folks on here ACTUALLY believe what you wrote.
Beware of the crippled suicide bombers!
@Zalim Singh: Yes last few years the cases of polio reported in India were coming from certain Muslim majority pockets in northern India where the mullahs were telling illiterate people it is American conspiracy to sterilize Muslims. but health workers talked to the mullahs, educated and convinced them and took their help to spread message in community.
All countries in the world including the poorest nations, remotest areas, the most conservative societies (including Islamic countries) and war-torn countries have eliminated Polio. Whole world has worked hard for years and spent billions of dollars (funding from Rotary club which is a private body) to make Polio second disease to be completely eradicated from earth after small-pox. Only Pakistan is giving excuses for failure. To eradicate a virus, it has to be eradicated from each and every corner of earth. Even if the virus survives in one small community, it could spread again and all the hardwork of whole humanity will go down the drain.
Mullahs and Uneducated Masses have created a misconception about "polio drops". Freedom to choose! Let them chose to remain crippled and the Government should neither beg to International Agencies nor collect taxes for health purposes, especially for those areas who have chosen to remain backward and generate a crippled next generation. It would be easier for Global Forces to barge into their lands then!
Cricketers have got another reason not to visit Pakistan
I hope the government does something good in this regard.
Govt. should only be blamed and west makes sure that these corrupts stay in power.
RAW+CIA+MOSSAD Conspiracy to destabilize IR of PK!
This is outrageous on the part of WHO and everyone else! Who do they think they are to impose their health standards on us? If we want to cripple our children and then the rest of the world due to our complete lack of understanding of science and full servility to the dogmatic mullahs, then we shouldn't be stopped! All hail the Taliban and other mullahs and their supporters Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif and of course the brilliant Islamic parties for ensuring we continue on the path to a glorious future.
writing was on the wall. Even Indian Muslims were opposing the polio drive few years before. Luckily they seems to have got back some commonsense now.